After two years of war, Sudan’s government plans return to capital

Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris made his first visit to Khartoum on Saturday since assuming office in May, pledging to rebuild the war-ravaged capital and bring back displaced citizens.

Speaking at the city’s ruined airport and other devastated sites, the army-aligned leader announced large-scale rehabilitation projects, stating that "Khartoum will once again be a proud national capital," according to the official Sudanese news agency.

The civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians in Khartoum and the displacement of nearly 3.5 million residents, according to the United Nations.

During his visit, Prime Minister Idris inspected the army headquarters and the international airport—both key sites whose recapture, along with the presidential palace, was declared a military victory by local authorities. Although the government remains temporarily based in Port Sudan, it has begun planning the return of ministerial functions to the capital despite ongoing fighting in other parts of the country.

Efforts are underway to bury the dead, defuse thousands of unexploded ordnances, and restart essential public services. At the al-Jaili oil refinery north of Khartoum—the country’s largest—Idris vowed, "National institutions will return stronger than before."

The refinery, which once processed 100,000 barrels of oil per day, was destroyed in the fighting. Sudanese officials estimate that restarting operations will take years and at least $1.3 billion in investment.

A seasoned diplomat and former senior UN official, Kamel Idris was appointed in May by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto head of state and army commander, to lead a “government of hope.”

Over the past two years, Sudan’s civil war has triggered the world’s worst hunger and displacement crisis. Nearly 25 million people face acute food insecurity, with more than 10 million internally displaced. An additional 4 million have fled the country entirely.

Violence continues in South Kordofan and West Darfur, where RSF forces have been accused of massacring civilians in recent days to consolidate their territorial control.